Gyroscopic compass



Dec. 22, 1931.

"o. RICHTER GYROSCOPIC COMPASS Filed Sept. 22, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Dec. 22, 1931. Y o, RlcHTER 1,837,292

GYROSCOPIC COMPASS I Filed Sept. 22, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 fa .seraamafor Ba Jnvemor wzww gr m/YE rs Dec. 22, 1931. o. RlCHTER GYRQSCOPIC COMPASS 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Sept. 22, 1950 Javen/or' 4&4

' Ser. No. 303,582

- mounted body,

Patented Dec. 22, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE OSKAB RICHTER, OF KIEL-NEUMUHLEN, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR 'IO NEDERLANDSOHE TEGHNISCHE HANDEL MAATSCHAPPIJ GIBO, OF THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS GYBOSCOPIC COMPASS Application filed. September 22, 1930, Serial No.

This invention is an improvement in or modification of that described in the copending application of Anschutz-Kaempfe filed Sept. 1, 1928- which relates to a gyroscopic apparatus including a gyroscope carrier which has at least one gyroscope with a horizontal axis and is surrounded by a follow up system adapted to be turned by servomotors both about the vertical axisand about the two horizontal principal axes. If this gyroscopic apparatus is installed on board ship, automatic means are operative to so turn the follow up system, as to keep it permanently in an invariable position in space relatively to the gyroscope carrier. For this purpose, the follow up system is turned about the vertical axis and/or about the two horizontal axes, for example, the longitudinal axis and the transverse axis of the ship. As a result, the normally horizontal plane of the carrier is always kept horizontal. By transmission of the turning movements produced by the servomotors on the follow up system to a suitably the latter is automatically stabilized against the movements of the ship and the turning movements of the latter may be observed at remote stations. In the embodiment of the invention described in the above-mentioned co-pending application the current of each servomotor is controlled by controlling members which are mounted on described in the co-pending appllcatlon, there the follow up system so that their plane of oscillation is always at right angles to the axis of oscillation co-ordinated with their motor. The controlling members co-ordinated with each servomotor function in case of a displacement relatively to the gyroscope system to so influence an electric system that the servomotor is set in motion and restores I the follow up system and the controlling members carried thereby to the original position relatively to the gyroscope carrier; Preferably, conductive faces arranged on the follow up system are used as controlling members, and cooperate with a specially shaped conductive face provided on the gyroscope carrier. Both conductive faces are in electric connection through a poorly-conducting liquid surrounding the gyroscope 483,551, and in Germany September 80, 1929.

carrier. A pair of such conducting faces is allotted to each servomotor and is connected in a bridge connection. If the bridge is thrown out of balance through relative displacement of the follow up system and the gyroscope carrier, the potential produced in the diagonal branch of the bridge causes the servomotor to run in such a direction that the'conductive faces are brought back again into the normal relative position, and thus equilibrium is restored again within their bridge connections. The farther the follow up system is displaced from its normal position relatively to the gyroscope carrier, the stronger will be the restoring force exerted by the servomotors. For a more detailed description of the operation reference is made to the co-pending application. By the insertion of amplifying apparatus, the sensitiveness of these connections may be increased such that the follow up system deviates by very small amounts only. from its normal position, so that it reproduces the movements of the ship about the three principal axes with an accuracy sufficient for the purposes of fine measurement. It is of course necessar in this case that the out of balance of the ridge connections should be brought about by the ships turning alone, which is to be measured, and not by other causes.

I have now found that, in the arrangement conductive face provided on the gyroscope carrier from the specified circular shape, and. the slightest variation in resistance in dif- -ferent points of the said conductive faces cause additional out of balance of the bridgewhen "the ship alters its course. Whereas the conductive faces controlling the turn of the follow up system about the vertical or upright axis always co-operate with the same points of the conductive faces of the gyroscope carrier, the conductive faces carried by the follow up system and controlling the 1 ment of the rolling component (B s) and the pitching component (Gs)--as the relative oscillations of the gyroscopecarrier with respect to the ship about the two horizontal principal axes will bedenoted for the sake .20 of simplicityand in their. remote transmission for stabilizing purposes. For this purpose, the controlling members, e. g. the conductive faces, which control the current of the servomotors for the rolling component 26 (B8) and the pitching component (C8), are

likewise turned about the vertical axis to follow the gyroscope system, so that they always cooperate with the same points or portions of the conductive face provided on the gyroscope 30 carrier. Thus, for example, on the follow up system the one pair of conductive faces is arranged in the north-south direction, and the other pair of conductive faces in the eastwest direction, and the follow up system is adapted to be so turned about the vertical axis as to maintain an invariable position relative to the gyroscope carrier. The horizontal 0scillation axes of the follow up system, hOW- ever, are arranged stationary with respect to 40 the ship, so that, for example, one may be in the longitudinal direction and the other in the transverse direction of the ship. .Consequently, each time the ships course is changed, the B8 and Cs conductive faces, wnichare turnedabout the vertical axis, are displaced with respect to the B8 and Cs oscillation axes co-ordinated with them, and means are provided which permit each of the two pairs of conductive faces to control, in accordance with their angular position relatively to the horizontal oscillation axes, to simultaneously actuate the two co-ordinated vservomotors.

This may be explained by an example. Let the ship have a N. W. course and be rolling and pitching at the same time, so that it executes, for example, an oscillation in the E. W. plane. In consequence, only the conductive faces, which are arranged east-west and which are turned correspondingly at the moment, come into operation. By this means, however, the Bs-servomotor effecting the follow up movement about the ships longitudinal axis and the Cs-servomotor effecting the follow up movement about the ships transverse axis must be driven in order to enable the follow up system to follow in the shortest path the relative movement of'the gyroscope carrier with respect to the ship.

I have, therefore, provlded a special apparatus'by means of which the B8 and Cs conductive faces operate on the servomotors.

This apparatus comprises a transformer having a stator and a rotor which is turned together with the follow up system about. the

vertical axis and will be referred to hereinafter as co-ordinate transformer. With thecoils of the stator, which are stationary rela-- ,tively to the ship, component currents which are supplied to the two servomotors.

A constructional example of my invention is illustrated more or less diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 shows the gyroscope com ass in a section transversely of the ships ongitudinal axis,the1electricalconnections being omitted;

Fig. 2 shows the gyroscopic compassin a vertical section in the direction of the ships longitudinal axis,

gy scope system being shown in elevation in both? figures, thegyroscope transformer being omltted;

Fig. 3 is a wiring diagram with a hori zontal section through the gyroscope system Fig- 4 is a wiring diagram with a vertical section-through the gyroscope system;

Figs. 5 and 6 show a wiring diagram of the co-ordinate transformer in different positions; I Y

Fig. 7 illustrates the attachment of the coordinate transformer in a partial elevation which is similar to Fig. 2.

In the supporting frame lof the gyroscopic compass are mounted pins 2, lying transversely of the ships axis, of a Cardan ring 3, which I v a circuit diagram of .the co ordinate tr nsformer, the spherical in turn is provided with borings for the bearings of pins 4, lying in the longitudinal direction of the ship, of the liquld container 5. In the cover 6 of the container, a vertical pin 7 is rotatably mounted and carries bymeans of a plurality of brackets 8 an upper encasing bowl 9 and a lower encasing bowl 10, which ble position relatively to the horizon and the meridian. Around the equator of the spherical gyroscope system 13 there extends an electrically conducting strip 14, one half of which is interrupted in the centre by an insulating system 13, 1s effected by three alternating current motors 24,31 and 33, the electric motor 24 being mounted on thecover of the casing and driving bymeans of the worm 28 a wormwheel 29, secured to the pin 7, in order to turn the follow up system about the vertical axis, when the ships course is altered. The electric motor 33, located on the base frame, drives by means of the worm 34, a worm segment 36, which is fixed to the pin 2, so that by this means the Cardan ring 3 carrying the pins 4, is turned in accordance with the pitching of the shi while-the electric motor 31 for turning t e casing in accordance with the rolling of the ship, is carried by a bracket 48 on the Cardan ring 3 and .the conducting faces 18 and 19 on an amplifying apparatus drives by means of a worm 35 aworm segment 37 fixed to thepins 4. The threemotors are controlled by resistance variations in a manner explained more fully in the co-pending application. Thus, the servomotor 24 is controlled by two conductive faces 18 and 18', displaced relatively to one another by 180 (Figs. 2 and 3), and carried by distance pieces 12 in a manner .such that they lie opposite the edges 19, 19 of the equatorial conducting face 14. Fig. 2, which is a vertical section shows diagrammatically the two conductive faces 18 and 18 in their normal position relatively to the edges 19 and 19.

Current is supplied to the gyroscope system by a conducting face 25, which is carried by the follow-up system and is connected .to a terminal 26 of a source of alternating current. The current then passes through the supporting liquid to a conducting face 49 on the floating casing 13, which face .is connected to the conducting face 14. From the conducting face 14, the current passes to the conducting faces 18 and 18 of the follow up s 'stem in twobranch currents, which flow t rough two opposing inductance coils 20 and 21 (Fig. 3) and are then united to return to the other terminal 27 of the source of alternating current. The resistances between the one hand and 18' and'19' on the other, and the alternating current resistances 20 and 21 constitute the alternating current bridge, the diagonal points of which are denoted in Figure 3 by 22 and 23. As soon as the follow up system 9, 10, 12 is turned about the vertical axis relatively to the spherical gyroscope system 13, the resistances between the faces 18, 19 and 18 and 19' become unequal, so that an alternating potential is produced between the points 22 and 23. This controls (not shown) which feeds the motor 24 so that the latter is set in motion and drives the follow-up system in such a direction and by such an amount that the normal positionshown in Fig. 2 is a' ain reached and the contact resistances there ore again become equal. The details of theconnections and the supply of current to the motor 24 are not shown for the sake of simplicity. In this connection reference may e made to German Patent No. 466,098 in which a more detailed disclosure of all this is given.

For the follow up turn of the follow up system about the two horizontal axes of the pins 2 and 4, there are provided pairs of conductive faces, fixed to the follow up system one in the north-south plane and the other in the east-west plane.

In Fig. 1 only the pair of conductive faces 30 is visible in section, while the other pair of conductive faces, indicated at 32, is hidden by the ball-shaped casing 13 of the gyroscope system. In Flg. 2 the pair of conducting faces 32 is visible in section, while the conductive faces 30 are hidden behind the casing and indicated by dotted lines. The resistance encountered by the current passing between the conductive face 14 of the gyroscope system on the one hand and the two co-ordinated conductive faces 30 or 32 on the other vary v if oscillations of the follow up system are .take u variable positions relatively to the axes o oscillation of the pins 2 and 4, so that the current impulses which they produce, must be supplied, according to their position, in varying proportions either to the motor 31 or motor 33 or to both motors at the same time. The alternating currents-taken from the two pairs of conductive faces 30 and 32 are therefore supplied to the co-ordinate transformer T shown in Figs. 2, 5, 6 and 7. The said transformer consists of a four-pole, rotating magnetic field, connected with the pin 7 as indicated in Fig. 7 so that it partakcs of the turning of the said pin and surrounds an armature which is mounted stationary relatively to the vertical axis, i. e. for example, it is carried by the cover 6.

The windings 38 and 39 of two opposite pole-pieces of the magnetic field are constituted by the inductance coils which are connected to the conducting faces 30, see Fig. 2, while the windings 40 and 41 of the other two pole-pieces are fed by the conductive faces 32. The armature is constituted by a slotted drum of laminated iron sheets, and receives two crossed coils 42 and 43 which are electrically at right angles to one another. The terminals of these two secondary windings are connected to four brush rings 44 to 47 which are-connected either directly, or preferably through amplifying apparatus (not shown), to the motors 31 and33 in the manner described in the German Patent No. 466,098- If the ship holds a course, such that the armature assumes with respect to its magnetic field the position shownin Fig. 5, a potential difference in the coils 38 and 39 produces an alternating current of corresponding phase and strength in the secondary winding 42 only, while the winding 43 remains de-energized. In like manner potential difi'erences in the windings 40 and 41 ati'ect solely the winding 42. Y

Upon a change in the course of the position shown in Fig. 4 is attained, in which a potential difference of the coils 38 and 39 induces a current both' in the winding 42 and in the winding 43, so that the two motors 31 and 33 are set inmotion and with the same starting torque. By this means, the follow up system is turned about its axes along the shortest path to follow the movement of the gyroscope system relatively to the ship, because a differencebetween the potentials of the coils 38 and 39 is produced by the follow up system tilting about the axis L Lind.i cated in Fig. 4, which. however, can only be eliminated in the shortest path by a simultaneous and equally rapid turning about the axes MM-and NN. The axes M-M and NN correspond to the axes of the pins 2 and 4, while the axis LL gives the vertical plane in which the conductive faces 30 are situated.

Upon a further change of course of 45 in the same turning direction, a position is attained which corresponds to Fig. 3 but in which the windings 42 and 43 have exchanged their roles. This, in fact, is necessary, since in the meantime the coils 38 and 39 and the conductive faces 30 connected thereto, have wandered from the rolling to the pitching plane of the ship, while the rolling and pitching motors 31 and 33 remain stationary relatively to the ship.

Whatever position may be considered, there is always a distribution of the current impulses between'the two motors 31 and 33,

. which are stationary relatively to the ship,

such as would be obtained if the conductive faces were likewise mounted stationary relatively to the ship and were connected dlrectly to the motors, for example, in the manner described in the co-pending application. By means of the co-ordinate transformer, the fact the transformation into the other system of co-ordinates.

An essential feature of my invention thus consists in that the torques produced by servomotors operate about axes stationary rela-' tively to the ship but are controlled by members adapted to vary their position relatively to the said axes.

What I claim is 1. A gyroscopic compass comprising a gyroscope carrier having at least one gyroscope up system surrounding said carrier and adapted to be turned about the three rincipal axes, including two normally horlzontal axes, servomotors for turning said system about the latter axes, members mounted on said follow-up system to control said servo-H motors, and a transformer comprised of a stator-:and a rotor coupled to said follow-up system for common rotation therewith about its vertical axis, said transformer being con-. nected to said members and to said servomo:

. tors whereby thelatter are caused to restore said follow-up system along the shortest path .with a horizontally disposed axle, a folldwto a predetermined position relative to said ing a. normally vertical pivot, a support in which said pivot is journalled and which is tiltably mounted about two horizontal axes perpendicular to one another, three servomotors, two for turning said support about the last mentioned axes and one for turning said carrier about said pivot, members mounted on said follow-up system for controlling said servomotors, a transformer compriscd of a stator and a rotor, the latter beingcoupled to said follow-up system for common rotation about the vertical axis thereof, said transformer being connected on the one side to those of said members which are co-' ordinated to the two first-mentioned servomotors and on the other side to the latter whereby said servomotors are caused to restore said follow-up system along the shortest path to a predetermined position relative to said gyroscope carrier.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature. v

' DIPL. Inc. OSKAR RICHTER.

that the conductive faces 39 and 32- are turned relatively to the ship wh ch the course is altered is taken into account.

The fields produced by the coils 38 and 39 on the one hand and by the coils 40 and 41 on the other are superimposed to form a unitary field which is resolved by the. windings 42 and 43 into components, corresponding to 

